"We all have
temptations, and we all had duties …
What makes us
different from them is knowing when to give in,
And knowing when to
fight against the voices in our head …
That, my friend, is
what makes us heroes."

Winds spiraled against the remaining strands of
pallid cloth, the hood of which pulled back and shifted constantly,
far beyond the control of its owner. Dark violet strands danced
wildly about in a background of space and stars. Thin black brows
lowered over a pair of determined lilac hues. Black secondary skin
lay stretched along the original ashen colored, with rips shredding
parts of the leotard and blood seeping through the material. Scrapes
and bruises showered her face, a swollen cheek and forehead forcing
her right eye to become half closed. Her mouth was filled with the
taste of blood, and more trickled down the side of her parted lips.
Exhaustion forced her lungs to plead for oxygen. With a slender hand
stretched across her chest, the sorceress of Azarath attempted to
catch her breath. Her enemy slowly levitated to the ground, without
so much of a scratch upon her.

Shadows wrapped around the slender body in a
scarlet hue, with the hood pulled up and a twin set of crimson eyes
glaring amusingly toward its mistress, one pair having grown above
the other. An inhumane grin was plastered upon her darken face.
Attired in an identical black skin-tight leotard, the girl brought a
hand to her mouth. She attempted to hide the evil chuckle she let
out, which echoed throughout the plane. Her stance shifted as her
chuckle turned into a sinister laugh. The sounds of a heavy
breathing-beast suddenly reached their ears just as a large black
dragon flapped its wings, lowered its altitude, and landed directly
in front of its master. Ruby-black scales reached down to a
triple-spiked tail, standing eight feet tall and holding more a mix
of a humanoid-dragon appearance. It stood on its back legs, with its
arms at its side, claws clenched into tightly balled up fists, and
holding the exact expression as its master. As the black cloak was
parted to the side by an extending of her arm, the dark-cloaked girl
revealed a white tome clasped in her other arm, and opened to a
specific page.

"Sohtniz,
Noirtem,
Htaraza!"
Black and red energy spiraled around the girl's extended arm,
while winds vacuumed in front of her. Four crimson hues sparked with
energy as she commanded her pet to attack. A roar sounded from the
beast, as its wings flapped strongly. Crouching down into a
defensive stance, the collected personalities of Raven flew high into
the air, and barely avoided the ball of black flame that escaped from
the dragon's mouth. The dragon cut through the air, and spiraled
after the girl as she flew through the star-lit sky. The girl arched
herself back, flipped straight over the dragon, and turned to face it
as she flew backward toward the ground. Her hands quickly motioned
in front of her, and exclaimed an enchantment of words.

"Shiro-Nami!"
White chakra intertwined from her shoulders, down to her
wrists. A sphere of energy erupted from her palms, and a wave of
white light smashed right into the back of the dragon. Smoldering
smoke lifted from its back as it quickly turned and let out another
ball of black flame from its mouth. Hastily taking action, the white
mage's hands moved in a slightly altered assortment of movements,
shouting out yet another magical spell. "Shiro-Toku!"

The white color from around her arms expanded to
create an even larger sphere, and wrapped protectively around its
creator, just as the flames over threw her body. Her arms were
crossed over in front of her chest with her head and body curling
inward. The flames forced the sphere downward, though nothing
breached through her defenses. When the attack ended, she dropped
the sphere, and focused her vision upward, too late to prevent the
next attack. The dragon's decent was blinded by its own attack,
and the moment the sphere dropped, it was already on top of its
target. It flipped forward, and snapped its long thick tale forward.
It struck the mage's shoulder hard, and forced her to once again
greet the hard dark gray floor. Smoke lifted from the ground as
another crater appeared along the battlefield.

The familiar loud, sinister laugh echoed through
the background as the girl attempted to stand. The black,
mirror-image of the battle-torn Raven once again landed a good safe
distance away. As her name defined, Rage enjoyed the show that
played out before her. Ever since Trigon's death, his influence
upon her grew stronger; even with the combined strength of her fellow
emotions, Raven stood no match against it. She fought against the
darkness that slowly began to overtake her vision, and pressed her
palms against the rough edges of the ground to push herself up on all
fours. The dragon's foot suddenly caved into the girl's spine,
and forced her to let out a painful cry. Her chest smashed deeper
into the crater, while the dragon's weight crushed down upon her
back with great force.

The black-scaled dragon leaped from the girl's
spine, and landed next to her mangled body. The demonic girl's
cackle had never ceased. Raven's brain registered nothing but
pain, but was overtaken by the inability to control anything below
her waist. She felt her hair being grasped, and was forcefully
lifted from the ground. She let out a light shriek as she was
dragged to the sorceress of dark arts. The girl's dark red cloak
parted, and once more revealed the white volume. The pages were
turned by her thin digits. The grin never escaped her lips as her
crimson hues shifted from the pages to her mistress. The girl smiled
wickedly, as she began to recite a spell her mistress had performed
only once before.

"Necronom,
Hezberek,
Mortix!"
the dark sorceress cried out. The dragon held her scalp tightly,
while pain and paralyzed limbs prevented her from any means of a
physical escape. Just as the book became engulfed in a dark aura,
the white mage reached into the depths of her soul.

"Kyuu-no-Nikkou!"
The white mage cried out. The enchantment expelled a brilliance of
white light from the jewel embedded within her forehead. The light
then engulfed her body, and completely blinded those around her. In
an attempt to swat away the blindness, the dragon loosened its grip
upon the captive and quickly covered rubbed its eyes. Far too late
to realize what had truly occurred, a black beam shot out from the
book. It wrapped itself around the dragon, just as the white mage's
body fell to the ground.

With her eyes blinded, the dark figure sensed her
dragon's shriek, before silence fell over the field. Smoke
radiated from the book and remained warm from the spell. Blurriness
forced the dark mage to squint her eyes, as she attempted to seek out
her pet. Her four eyes widened to view her mistress staring angrily
from the ground. From her stomach, the sorceress of light refused to
give up and moved her hands the best she could.

"Shiro-Kaze!"
A strong wind picked up from behind the mage, and stormed toward the
scarlet cloak. Caught off guard, Rage was thrown several yards back.
She smashed into several lifted boulders, which crashed down upon
her the moment she landed. Raven took advantage of the girl's prior
distraction, pressed her palms to the ground, and let loose a good
amount of energy to send her body skyward.

"Shiro-Kaze!"
The girl cried out, forced strong winds to the ground, and
hurled her body skyward. As her body lifted, the momentum of the
blast was used to hurl her body toward her darker emotion. She threw
her hands out in front of her, and summoned the largest blast she
could.

"Kami-no-Shiro-Hi-Kaze!"
A bright aura erupted like white flames and completely engulfed the
girl's body. A blast of white energy, far superior to any other
that had been let loose thus far, was forced from the girl's palms.
It flew directly where the dark mage had landed, and tore easily
through the gray mass of rock. The blast continued to pour downward,
cracked the ground, and forced the large piece of land to shake
violently.

She was shocked, however, to feel the sudden dark
aura not two yards above, and lowered behind her. Time slowed
dramatically as the white mage's head turned in the direction of
the dark aura. A black-powered backhand smacked the side of her
head. The white beam was halted the moment its creator was attacked

"This fight is mine!"
The voice was full of hate and rage, as the dark sorceress followed
the mage to the ground. Just before she was to strike, the white
mage's vision turned black.

xXxXxXxXx

It was just another day for the heroes of Jump
City, who lounged about within their giant T-shaped tower. The
building sat along the California coastline, which overlooked the
city they fought to protect. It stood twelve stories high, three
stories to each cube-like shape, housed a variety of training
equipment, state of the art security system, advanced computerized
technology, rooms for the team themselves, a medical bay, and the
very lobby that the Titans were hanging out in. Four of the five
teammates were so focused upon the flat plasma screen, none of them
were aware of the sorceress that attempted to stagger her way in from
the hallway.

Her eyes were closed tightly while they shifted
from their morbid lilac hue to a sinister ruby color. Her hands
grabbed her head as a sharp pain threatened to split her skull in
two. She let out a mute cry and fell to one knee. After much
struggling and fighting, the battle was over. A second pair of eyes
fully formed from atop her original, with all four corrupting into an
evil red hue. A demonic grin appeared on her face as her eyes
widened with rage. She grinned wickedly and wrapped dark magical
energy around her hands.

"Sohtniz,
Noirtem,
Htaraza!"
Raven screamed out and threw a sharp wave of vertical energy
forward. The beam cut straight through the couch, cut a portion of
Robin's cape, and easily tore through the flat panel screen that
exploded a second later. Shards of glass rained over the entire
Titans crew as they leaped from the couch, caught completely off
guard by the attack.

"Raven, what are you-" Beast Boy was cut off
as Raven's fist greeted his face. His nose broke instantly as his
head snapped back. While blood erupted from Beast Boy's nose,
Raven swung her leg around and connected the side of Cyborg's metal
skull with the heel of her boot, the force enough to send even the
big man crashing against the wall. The dark mage then moved to take
on the Titan's leader. Robin already had his trusty metal bo-staff
at the ready, and parried the girl's extending leg with a vertical
shift of his rod.

"Raven!" Robin continued to block as the girl
let loose a combination of punches and kicks. "Stop!"

The staff was quickly kicked to the right and
followed up with a punch to his face. Robin's green glove easily
caught the girl's wrist as his head shifted to the right, pulling
the girl's arm behind her back. Raven let out a cry of pain as her
arm was shifted upward. Her other arm reached back to elbow his
side, but the martial-artist was faster. He grabbed the girl's
other wrist and held her in a two-arm lock.

"Raven, what's wrong with you?" Robin
quickly yelled into her ears. Raven let out a low growl and forced
her head backward to smack against Robin's face. The boy wonder
staggered backward and loosened the lock he held on the sorceress in
the process. The violet haired girl instantly turned and delivered a
boot to the teen's chest, which sent him flying toward the window.
His back smacked against the bottom portion that sent a web of cracks
upward. Raven's body twirled in the direction of the very confused
princess of Tamaran and extended her arm outward.

"Sohtniz,
Noirtem,
Htaraza!"
Raven cried out as a spark of black energy encircled her arm. Half
of the red sectional couch was lifted to the sorceress' command,
surrounded itself in the same black energy, and was hurled toward the
princess. Starfire had barely enough time to blink, let alone take
in the actual scene that played out before her. The large furniture
bounced off the girl's body and sent her into the kitchen. Her
body smashed right through the kitchen table, while the couch
ricocheted off the refrigerator door. A quick look to her right and
the sorceress continued her attack.

"Sohtniz,
Noirtem,
Htaraza!" The other
portion of the sectional was lifted, but this time Cyborg's fist
tore through it as he rushed toward the sorceress who was now too
slow to react to the half metal Titan's charge. With his arms
spread open, he leaped into the air, tackled Raven to the ground, and
pinned her with his heavy body the best he could. He remembered
seeing those eyes once before, the time Beast Boy and himself had
stumbled upon her meditation mirror. Those four crimson eyes were
the very eyes of her father's influence, and he'd be damned if
he'd allow Raven's father to control his friend's mind again.

"Raven!" Cyborg called out to the girl in
hopes that she was still inside there somewhere. "I know you're
in there somewhere! Don't listen to your father!"

He watched as her face changed from utter
frustration to mild humor. The girl let out a light chuckle as her
body relaxed from its tense state. The chuckle then turned into an
evil cackle. The man's words seemed too comical for her to stand.

The sorceress let out a light yell as her four red
eyes grew bright. In a black flash, Cyborg was thrown from the
girl's body, and once again she levitated her form from the carpet
to stare down the other members of her team. They had quickly
surrounded her. Starfire pulled herself from the rubble of wood from
the kitchen table, and Beast Boy walked wearily behind the Titan's
Leader. Robin took hesitant steps forward while Starfire pleaded
with her best friend.

"Raven, please!" The orange-skin toned alien
cried out as her hands extended outward in a cautious form. "We
are your friends!"

"We don't want to fight you," Robin stated
firmly, his voice having lost some if its normal valor.

"That's a real shame,"
Raven stated in mock disappointment. "And
here I was expecting a challenge."

From behind her, Cyborg's sonic cannon formed,
the sound of the charge-up forced the sorceress' eyes to shift to
her right. Cyborg's dark brows lowered in both worry and fear. He
didn't want to hurt the girl, but at the same time he had to
protect himself and his team. Raven was indeed powerful after the
defeat of Trigon. She had displayed more power than Cyborg could
have ever dreamed of seeing. She had resurrected every life that
Trigon had taken and also restored the planet itself to its previous
green and blue state.

"Ah, ah, ah,"
Raven broke the dark skinned teen from his thoughts with a casual
wave of her thin index finger. "It's rude
to point guns at people."

A spark of black magic wrapped around her forearm
and encircled a pulsing black sphere that erupted to life upon the
tip of her finger. As her palm opened, the sphere of black energy
exploded while Raven turned to fully face the teen. A sinister grin
was then plastered upon her face.

"Boom…"
she whispered. Cyborg's eyes lit up as the once blue pulsing
energy upon his mechanical right forearm became fused with black.
Cyborg let out a panic cry and shook his hand a fraction of a second
before the sonic cannon on his right arm exploded to pieces, along
with the remains of the human part of his arm. Blood, oil, and
mechanical pieces flew out in all directions while Cyborg quickly
grasped his shoulder, or what was left of it. He let out an
excruciating pain-filled cry as he dropped to the ground and cringed
when he saw the remains of his arm splattered along the floor, walls,
and ceiling.

"Raven! No!" Robin cried out with an
extending of his arm. Beast Boy was brought to a frozen state by
both shock and fear as he witnessed his best friend's arm explode
before his eyes. The dark magus turned slowly toward the leader;
time suddenly slowed down all around them. Four crimson hues were
wide and filled with a sick expression of amusement, all with the
same sadistic grin.

"Burakku-Bakufuu!"
From the ashen-tone palm of the sorceress erupted a black sphere of
energy, overtaken in electricity. As she pointed it outward, the
sphere exploded into a black beam that smashed into the Titan's
leader, which took Beast Boy along for the ride into the living room
wall and straight through the plaster. Raven then lunged for the
redheaded Starfire, who had become too engulfed in her own confusion
to fight against her best friend. The fingers of her right hand
gripped around Starfire's neck tightly, which forced the redhead to
let out a yelp as she was lifted into the air. Raven slammed the
strong Tamaranian against the wall as the princess' hands pulled at
the girl's wrist. Raven's demonic strength seemed superior to
the emotion-filled Tamaranian's.

"Raven … please …" Starfire attempted to
cry out in between her attempts to breathe. "We are … we are
your … your friends."

"Friends?"
Raven's comment sounded more along the lines of a laugh. "Don't
make me laugh."

Raven tightened her grip on the girl's neck in
an attempt to snap it in two with a single hand. She slowly leaned
toward the alien and lowered her lips over her right ear.

"I was never your friend,"
her voice sent an icy chill down the Tamaran's spine, fear
evident upon her features. Raven pulled back and held the strong
girl against the wall while she cocked her other fist back. Before
she was to strike, a loud pang sounded from a metal rod smacking
against the side of Raven's head which threw her to the left. Her
body smacked against the glass and sent an even bigger web of cracks
up, with small pieces from the middle falling atop the fallen
sorceress. Robin quickly attempted to help Starfire up, but the girl
had become completely worried over Raven, who had yet to move from
the devastating strike.

"What … where …"

The voice was groggy and Raven's body finally
twitched. Her palms pressed against the floor in an attempt to sit
up, then as she grasped where Robin's metal staff had struck, her
face cringed from the strike. Robin was hesitant to strike when the
girl turned to face them, confusion and fear radiated off of her like
a scared child, unsure of what she had just done.

"What's going on?" Raven asked, her eyes
having reverted to their dark violet hue. The other two eyes seemed
to have vanished without a trace, and blood now trickled from the
right side of her mouth. The girl seemed to just notice and wiped
the blood with her wrist. "What … what's going on?!"

Emotions swirled throughout the tower as the
Titans crew slowly surrounded the confused sorceress, whose body had
begun to tremble into a state of shock. Starfire was the first to
cave in. She instantly rushed to her friend's side and wrapped her
arms around her. She was relieved when Raven easily accepted the
girl's motherly like antics, and leaned fully into Starfire's
strong embrace. Her body shook uncontrollably, and her quick short
pants sounded as if she was trying not to cry.

"Shh, it is okay," Starfire tried to sooth the
girl as she stroked her hair like her own mother had done when she
was upset. "Everything is alright now, Raven."

"Kori … Koriand'r?" Raven's voice was
hoarse but quiet, muffled by her attempts to not cry. The girl
finally looked up to the pool of forest green and jade, fear still
evident upon her features.

"Yes, Raven, I am here," Starfire cooed as she
continued to calm the girl. "I will always be here for you, my
friend."

"No, Koriand'r,"
Raven's voice was so quiet, Starfire had to strain her ears in
order to catch the last words. "You won't."

Pain erupted from Starfire's left side, which
forced her to let out a low groan as her arms loosened their grip
upon the sorceress. As Raven pulled back, black energy spiraled
around her arm, and in her right hand held the source of the pain; a
black materialized dagger, made up of the dark mage's own
telekinetic magic. Dark violet hues shifted completely from fear to
humor, as another set appeared and reverted back to their scarlet
hue. Starfire stumbled back, all the way to the wall she had been
forced against just moments ago, while her hands tried to conceal the
wound. Blood poured through the cracks of her fingers even still.

"Starfire!" Robin cried out as he rushed
toward the girl who began to collapse to the floor. Raven quickly
put a stop to the boy wonder's save with a forceful blast.

"Sohtniz,
Noirtem,
Htaraza!"
Robin's boots were wrapped in a black energy and he was suddenly
lifted from the ground and held upside down. Before he could make
any attempt to react, Raven threw her arm toward the near-shattered
window and sent the teen straight through it. A large blue beam of
energy suddenly crashed into the sorceress' side, and threw her
toward the left side of the room. A determined Cyborg stepped
forward and aimed his remaining limb outward, which had reverted to
its weaponry mode.

"Get her out of here!" The half-metal Titan
shouted with a serious look to Beast Boy, who shifted his gaze toward
the half conscious Starfire. Her eyes were focused upon Raven, while
tears flowed freely down her cheeks. The girl's body had gone from
golden orange to a sickly pale-peach color while she sat in a pool of
her own blood. The changeling quickly rushed over to the girl,
picked her up in his arms, and rushed out the main lobby doors.
Cyborg then looked back to the sorceress, who had just pulled herself
from the floor with smoke smoldering off her body.

"That wasn't very nice,"
Raven stated in her demonic tone while she casually dusted off her
leotard to look up to the man. "You could
really hurt somebody with that kind of power."

"Listen, Raven," Cyborg replied as he charged
up his cannon to the maximum level and took aim once more. "I
don't want to hurt you."

"Ha, ha! Oh, Victor,"
Raven cackled as she walked fearlessly toward the Titan. Her
expression quickly shifted from humored to enraged. "You
may have caught me off guard, but trust me…"

Her eyes began to glow a dark, blood color while
her voice became louder with an added, demonic echo.

"That won't ever!"
A wave of black energy erupted from around her, forcing harsh winds
in all directions. Cyborg quickly tried to hold his ground,
unleashing a beam of energy toward the girl. "Happen!"

The sorceress lifted her arm and swatted the beam
aside, forced it through the ceiling to bring plaster all around the
girl.

"AGAIN!"
That same hand was thrown forward, and with a clench of her fist, a
black sheet of energy wrapped itself around Cyborg's body. The
African-American teen was lifted into the air, while all his metal
parts began to push inward. His eyes lit up as his brain registered
nothing but pain. His screams reached far out to the bay of Jump
City. Raven's four eyes widened with a sick excitement and a
wide-fanged grin as she tightened her grip upon the man.

Blood erupted from her palm as the sharp end of
Robin's trusty bird-a-rang tore through the middle of her
hand, which forced her to instantly drop the magical hold she had
upon Cyborg. Once again, her eyes changed back to their normal color
at the feeling of immense pain while fear quickly filled her face.
Her already ashen skin tone turned a pale white as her other hand
shakily moved toward her wounded one, afraid to touch the weapon that
suck halfway out.

"AH!" Raven let out a far
louder cry than Cyborg had as her pupils grew minuscule and her eyes
grew wide. Cyborg's body fell to the ground, the blue glow from
his mechanical parts going dull, and completely powering off his
system. Blood poured from Raven's wound. The pain and confusion
too much for her to bear, she continued to scream as she fell to her
knees. She cradled her hand, unable to unglue her eyes from the
bird-a-rang that was impaled through her palm and out the
other side. Robin's tight grip upon his grappling hook loosened,
which had made contact with the ceiling, and gave him the opportunity
to fly back in through the window. His own eyes were wide in
confusion, but remained fixated upon the situation. The girl had
already tricked Starfire before, and there was no way he was going to
fall for the same trick.

"Robin … why? Why is this happening to me?"
Tears flowed similar to waterfalls down the sorceress' cheeks.
The girl completely broke down in front of somebody for the first
time in her life. Raven fell to her side and curled up into a ball.
She closed her eyes tightly and her body trembled in fear while she
attempted to drive out the evil in her mind. "I'm not
evil … I'm not evil … I'm not evil."

Robin watched as the girl continued to repeat
herself, for once in his life completely unsure of his next course of
action.

"Help … me," Robin's ears barely caught
the girl's words, as she fought desperately for control. "I
don't want to do this alone…"

It took every brain cell in his mind to register
the fact that it could still be a trap to keep his boots locked upon
the carpet and his body frozen in place. His heart, however, yearned
to aid the girl, to help his teammate and friend in anyway he could.

"Your not alone, Raven," Robin finally found
his voice and took one cautious step toward her. "You can't give
up. You have to fight."

Raven slowly lifted her tear-filled eyes to her
leader, fear evident upon her face. Swallowing hard, the girl slowly
nodded her head and pulled herself to sit up while she grasped the
edges of the bird-a-rang. After a deep breath, she yanked the
weapon from her hand. Blood erupted from the wound and forced the
girl to let out a torturous cry. The girl's pain-filled scream
made the boy wonder cringe, but knew it would be wise to still keep
his distance. The sorceress clenched her jaw as she attempted to
curl her legs inward, and extend her arms passed her knees. Robin
watched from afar as Raven attempted to maintain a meditative stance,
despite the pain that was obvious in her expression.

"Az'rath, Metrion, Xinthos…"
Raven's eyes closed, and a dead silence filled the room, the
girl's trembling body instantly stilling as she dove deep into her
mind. Robin watched the battle play out upon the girl's
rapid-changing expressions; her brows twitched constantly and her jaw
clenched tightly shut. After several minutes, he heard the girl let
out a low groan while sweat poured down her forehead. Winds began to
swirl around her as the battle within her mind raged on. Robin
noticed fatigue wash over her at a fast rate while her breaths became
quick and short. Suddenly she cringed and her meditative position
was shattered as she grasped her head and let out a cry of pain.
Robin nearly ran to the girl, but only made it two steps in fear that
her rage had once again taken over.

"Robin!" Raven cried out through the pain,
with her eyes closed tightly. "I …
I can't do it!"

"You can, Raven!" Robin attempted to cheer
the girl on and loathed the fact that there was nothing he could
possibly do to help the girl. "You beat your father once, all on
your own! You can do it again right now!"

"I … I can't!"
Raven screamed as her spine arched back. Beads of sweat flew off
her forehead while she attempted to shake the evil thoughts from her
mind. "He's … he's too
powerful!"

"You have the power inside of you!" Robin
continued to yell back, taking a few more cautious steps forward.
The girl continued to shake her head back and forth in an attempt to
drive the demon out. "You can do it, Raven! Fight!"

"AH!" Raven screamed as the
jewel embedded on her forehead erupted into a bright white light that
completely showered over everything in the room. Robin was blinded
momentarily and quickly rubbed his eyes in an attempt to retrieve his
lost sense of sight. When his vision returned, he found Raven
sprawled on her back, unmoving but still breathing.

"R … Rob … Robin?" Her voice was barely
audible as the leader quickly rushed to her side. He tore off a
piece of his short green sleeve and wrapped it around her wounded
hand. Raven's body was cold and her skin had grown a sickly pale
color. He pulled her head onto his lap while he attempted to get her
dull violet hues to focus upon him. They continued to travel
anywhere but actually on him, and his brows lowered in both fear and
regret.

"Raven!" Robin's voice was desperate. He
knew Cyborg needed help as well, but knew if he had left Raven, she
could have been taken over once again. "Say something!"

"Robin…" a quiet reply as her eyes finally
shifted to the white trim mask worn around Robin's eyes. The teen
let out a sigh of relief and tilted his head downward. The weight of
the world seemed to slip slowly off his shoulders.

"Are you alright?" Robin asked, unsure if the
girl's inner battle had damaged her more than physical appearances
would show.

"I … I don't know," Raven's eyes began
to tear up again as her body curled inward. "I don't know
anything."

Robin didn't know what to make of the girl. He
didn't know what to think about the entire situation. Cyborg
needed medical attention, and he could only hope Beast Boy's
disappearance meant he had taken Starfire to the medical facility to
tend to her injury.

"I'm gonna see if Cyborg's alright," he
said as he began to shift her weight off of his lap.

"You're never alone, Raven," Robin quickly
informed the girl as he placed his gloved hands over her own. "Your
friends will always be here for … you …"

The pain didn't register in his mind until
Raven's eyes changed from the dull violet back into red, and the
look of fear rinsed from her face. His next intake of oxygen filled
his lungs with blood and forced him to cough up the crimson liquid,
which splattered happily over the sorceress' face. The girl didn't
seem to mind as her lips formed a maddening grin. Her good arm
forced the dagger she had once again created deeper into the side of
his ribcage, which punctured easily through his lung. Robin fell to
his side and grasped the left side of his body while blood poured out
from the side. Raven sat up with the grin still widening, and with a
flick of her wrist, the black energized dagger vaporized. She pushed
herself to a stand with ease and peeled off the green material
wrapped around her hand.

"You mortals are just too
predictable," Raven stated. The demonic tone returned once
again as her tongue trailed along her blood-stained hand. "Mm…
far too predictable."

Robin pushed himself onto his forearm while his
other hand pressed against the open wound; any attempt to move
resolved in more devastating pain. After Raven was satisfied with
the taste of her own blood she turned to the boy wonder who tried to
crawl toward the door.

"And where do you think
you're
going?" Raven asked casually, walking slowly toward him.
She pressed her boot against his back and pushed him to the
blood-stained carpet. "You weren't
thinking of leaving me, were you?"

She shifted her weight and used that same leg to
kick Robin in the side, which furthered his injury and knocked him a
few yards back

"But Robin!" Raven cried out in mockery. "I need your
help!"

She extended her arm outward and wrapped the teen
in her demonic energy.

"Please, Robin!"She laughed at this point as his body was lifted into the air. "I can't do this alone!"

She threw her hand down, and forced the Titan's
leader's body to smack against the carpet, though the energy didn't
disperse. With a grin, she lifted her arm and brought Robin up into
the air once again.

"Save me, Robin!" Raven continued to mock the leader, as she forced his body to slam
repeatedly against the floor. "My
father's just too strong! Won't you help me Robin? Won't you
help me fight against my father?"

Raven erupted into a fit of laughter after the
final drop, the teen's body completely still at this point. With a
slap of her knee to follow, Raven continued to chuckle as she slowly
walked toward Robin and kicked him onto his back.

"It's … all … over," Robin's breathing
had gone completely shallow, as his left arm was clenched to his
wounded side, his other sprawled out above his head. Raven grinned,
as she leaned over the teen.

"That's right, bird
boy," she said in a deep
voice. "It's all over for you."

"No," he corrected the girl as he fought
against the darkness so he could let out one final breath. "All
over … for … us."

With that, his head fell to the side, and the
tight grip his left arm held upon his open wound loosened. Raven
heard a clank and quickly looked to his left hand, which dropped one
of Robin's many devices. Her eyes widened in shock as the round
mechanism held a red flashing light that continued to pick up in
speed until it let out a long beep.

"You insignificant son
of a-"

xXxXxXxXx

Once the elevator doors opened, Beast Boy sprinted
in the direction to where the Titan's bedrooms were held, and
rounded one corner to make a long dash down the hall. He continued
to tell Starfire to hold on, and to try to stay awake, no matter how
much she wanted to sleep. He would shake her every time her eyes
closed, and so far, she would awaken each time with a light cry of
pain. He knew he should have gone to the med bay to treat to the
girl's wounds, but knew it wouldn't do any good. If what he
thought was happening was indeed happening, then he knew of only one
way to stop it.

Beast Boy quickly kicked at the console pad while
trying not to agitate Starfire's wound anymore than he needed to.
The door lifted open to reveal Raven's own living quarters. Moving
quickly, Beast Boy rushed Starfire over to the girl's bed, placed
the princess down carefully, then ran into the girl's bathroom, and
tore it apart in search of a first aid kit. When he did find it, he
quickly ran back into the room, to turn a ghostly white when he found
Starfire's eyes closed and completely still.

"Starfire!" Beast Boy cried out while he ran
as fast as he could to the bed and lifted up the bottom portion of
her purple shirt to get a better look at the wound. "Please, Star,
be okay…"

There was so much blood he couldn't even tell
where the wound started or ended. Seeing as how the sheet was
already seeped with blood, it was safe to assume the blade was long
enough to pierce right through her. He quickly took a towel and
wiped away as much blood as he could, then pressed a decent sized
piece of gauze to where he found the wound. He was relieved when
there wasn't another one to be found when he pulled her onto her
side, and quickly patched up the gash.

"Starfire? Starfire! Wake up!" Beast Boy
tried to shake the girl after he had tended to her injury. After he
realized shaking her wasn't the best thing, he placed her down
gently and pressed an ear to her chest. He let out a sigh of relief
when he felt the faint air exhaled from her parted lips before he
could even listen to her heart beat. "Star?"

The girl made no reply, simply remained silent
with her eyes closed and fought desperately to stay alive.

"Beast … Beast Boy?" The violent shaking of
the tower seemed to awaken the princess of Tamaran, and the
changeling quickly picked himself up.

"Starfire, Starfire!" Beast Boy was more than
relieved to hear the girl's voice. "Are you alright?"

"Why …" she asked as tears fell from her
partially opened eyes. "Why must this happen to us?"

Beast Boy fell silent to the girl's question,
not really knowing himself why.

"Did I … did I do something wrong?" Beast
Boy's heart sank at the girl's question. There was so much the
girl had to learn about Earth life, and now it seemed neither of them
would live to see the end of the day.

"It's not Raven," Beast Boy stated firmly as
he rose from the bed while his eyes shifted toward the dresser that
sat against the wall. "It's Raven's father who's controlling
her."

"But … did she not destroy the Trigon?"
Beast Boy heard her ask, as he walked over to the dresser, opening up
several drawers in search of something.

"It's her father's influence," he quickly
informed his teammate while pulling out the drawers. "It looks
like even after death, he's able to take control of her."

"How…" Starfire took a moment to take in a
breath. "How do we get the old Raven back?"

"Her meditation mirror," Beast Boy answered,
as he moved to her closet. "It's a portal into her mind. If we
can get into her mind, then maybe, somehow, we'll be able to help
her fight off her father's … whatever."

"My father's influence,"
a voice quickly corrected him. Beast Boy nodded as he continued to
throw leotard after leotard out from the closet.

"Yea, your father's … influ … ence"
Beast Boy's eyes widened after he repeated what the girl had said.
However, it most certainly wasn't the voice from the bed. This one
seemed to be right behind him. Slowly, the changeling turned to face
the wrath of the sorceress, whose four crimson hues looked upon him
with amusement.

"Looking for this?"
Raven asked as she parted her cloak to reveal the old gray
artifact in a tight grasp. The teen nodded dumbly and fell
completely victim to Raven's assault. With a wind up of her arm,
she smashed the back of the mirror against the changeling's temple
which completely shattered the glass as well as all hopes of entering
the girl's mind. Beast Boy slammed into the wall and fell on top
of the dresser, knocked out cold from the strike. The dark sorceress
then turned her gaze upon the form that lay in her bed, her sinister
grin having never left her even for a moment as she slowly walked
over.

"Kori,
Kori, Koriand'r," Raven
half spoke, half sang as she lifted herself onto the bed and crawled
onto the girl's thighs to straddle her waist. "So
we meet at last."

Starfire looked away from the demonic form of her
friend; the demon's eyes appeared as though they could pierce
through her very soul.

"Koriand'r, the source
of Raven's desires," the demonic form of Raven said
quietly as Starfire let out a painful breath. The dark mage merely
grinned at the girl's displeasure, and leaned forward to place her
arms to both sides of the princes' head. Her voice was a quiet
whisper. "You know … she begged me not to
harm you."

Starfire's head turned to the other side, her
words like a dull knife piercing her heart.

"At first, she threatened
to kill me," the dark mage continued nonchalantly with a
roll of her hand. "But after a good beating,
she realized just who was more powerful."

"Why…" Starfire was in tears, unable to look
up to the demon on top of her while all hopes of ever getting her
best friend back seemed to diminish before her very eyes. "Why are
you doing this?"

"Why you ask?"
Raven seemed amused by the question, shifting back upon the girl's
upper thighs. "Because you are all weak, and
the weak do not survive in life. I'm just here to speed up the
process."

"Please," Starfire cried out to the best of
her ability as she finally turned her head to face what was once her
best friend.

"Shh," Raven
cooed into the girl's ear after she leaned forward toward her.
"It'll all be over soon … if I feel
like ending it that quickly."

With a flick of her wrist, the same dagger
appeared within her fingers. Raven grasped the hilt as she ran the
edge of the blade along the girl's shoulder blade. Like fire
against her skin, Starfire attempted to squirm away from the blade,
but the weight upon her waist only agitated her original wound.

"Aw, is my poor baby in
pain?" Raven asked in a motherly tone, letting the tip of
the blade drag up the line of her neck. "What
is it you want, Koriand'r? What is it you need?
Tell me this before I kill
you."

"I…" her voice was shaky as her body
trembled in fear. She didn't want to die. She didn't want her
friends to die. She wanted her best friend back. She wanted the old
Raven to return and for this version of her to never exist.

"You're far too easy to
read," Raven said as she pulled back the tip of the blade
while she kept herself balanced upon the girl's hips. She leaned
in even further and brought her lips right next to the girl's left
ear. "There's no way that bitch
is ever coming back."

"No…" Starfire cried out in one breath and
sobbed uncontrollably before the demon, who merely laughed at the
girl's pain.

"Now that I've
completely broken you physically and mentally," she said in
a sadistic tone while she raised the blade. "I
think I'm done with you. Besides, I have an entire planet to
destroy."

A pair of horns smashed into the dark mage's
side and hurled her straight across the room. The green skinned
changeling was quick to revert back to his human form and stood
defensively between the crying Tamaran and the dark sorceress
herself. Blood dripped from the ear in which she had struck earlier,
and a look of pure fury was plastered upon his features.

"Raven, how could you do this?!" Beast Boy
screamed as Raven easily raised herself from the floor, and casually
dusted herself off.

"Easy," she said
as she turned her view from her leotard to the green skinned teen.
"Like this."

With a wind up of her arm, Raven sent a wave of
black energy toward the changeling who quickly dodged the vertical
attack. It tore through the bottom portion of the bed, tore through
the mattress, and missed Starfire's feet by mere inches. Beast Boy
leaped back, not wanting to have any more casualties. He picked up
Starfire in his arms as he had before, leaped for the window, and
curled his body up as he smashed through it. He ignored the shards
of glass that stuck to his skin, and quickly reverted to a flying
pterodactyl, and carried the princess by its claws, far away from the
sorceress. He had to get help. There was no way Beast Boy would be
able to take her on by himself. He had to regroup.

Raven chuckled as she watched the green winged
prehistoric animal flew for the horizon. She could easily catch up
with them, but she'd have plenty of time for that later. She flew
out the window and straight toward the heart of the city. She gazed
down to the citizens below her and laughed madly. The fools wouldn't
even see it coming. She clenched her fists tightly as a spiral of
black and red energy erupted at her feet. The dark aura completely
engulfed her body as Raven underwent a drastic transformation. Her
eyes grew large while her dark ashen skin seemed to shred from the
body, and peeled off to reveal a demonic crimson undercoat. Her hair
streaked black as it grew further down her back; her bangs shifted to
a full ebony hue, while the rest of her hair followed. The girl
appeared to age several years, her legs and body growing longer.
Hips widened while the waist was pulled in more. Her once azure
cloak reverted to a dark black color, along with her wrist cufflinks
and boots, which now matched the leotard that stretched along her
skin.

"You humans have ruled
this planet for far too long," the new demonic form of
Raven spat out in distaste. With a lift of her hand, her magic would
send the citizens of Jump City to run for their lives.

xXxXxXxXx

A noise…

A ringing noise…

Soft at first but in an instant grew far too loud
to keep the sorceress asleep for any longer.

Like a picture being taken, her senses flashed to
life; grogginess throughout her body and mind the first to greet her.
Wracked with both pain and pure exhaustion, the dark sorceress known
as Raven let out a low groan while her senses slowly adjusted to her
surroundings. Her mind was foggy and her head felt full of lead upon
her weak and battered shoulders. Darkness greeted her
sub-consciousness, and she fought desperately against it. As
tempting as sleep seemed, something urged the dark magus to awaken.
Reaching into the inner depths of her remaining strength, Raven let
out a long, low groan, as pain erupted from throughout her spine and
neck, as well as throughout the upper parts of her left leg and
shoulder. In reaction to the pain, Raven's eyes opened
immediately, her vision shifting from complete darkness to pure white
light, as if the brightest white star erupted before her, or perhaps
she had just killed herself in an attempt to stand, and now stood in
front of the gates of judgment. She let out a loud cry; her dry and
scratched throat muffling it some, while it ached with a dull pain.

In an attempt to stand, the girl fell to one knee,
quickly moving a palm outward in order to catch herself, scratching
her hand over what was once her resting place. Jagged pieces of
lifted pavement was set around where she had slumbered, her brows
lowering while fear quickly filled her senses. As reality finally
slapped her across the face, her vision returned; blurry at first,
but slowly taking in the battle torn city of what was once Jump
City's beloved down town district. Her pain suddenly long
forgotten in an attempt to recall prior events, another pain erupting
from her temples, as if mentally slamming into a specially enforced
metal wall at over a hundred miles an hour. Her right hand began to
lift in order to rub her temple, but something prevented her from
lifting it passed shoulder level.

The girl cringed, as a jolting pain shot from her
arm to her brain, and she quickly leaned back to cradle her arm. Her
eyes fell upon the compound fracture upon her upper arm, just before
it connects to the shoulder. Blood crusted from the wound and around
the piece of broken bone. Fear quickly turned into panic and her
once wisdom-filled, stoic façade completely shattered like
glass. As her now widened hues traveled from her arm to up and
about, she slowly rose to her feet, ignoring the pain that now seemed
numbed by pure incredulity.

A complete war zone surrounded her, with darken
black clouds looming overhead, the stench of death intoxicating to
one sensitive to smell, and being a half-demon, Raven instantly moved
her other hand to her mouth to fight the wave of nausea. Dark violet
tiers attempted to focus through the blurry vision, a dark red hue
recognized as blood staining nearly every portion of the street she
was upon, limbs and body parts seemingly rained from the sky. Her
body trembled uncontrollably, and she stumbled over to a street lamp,
quickly trying to keep her balance. She stood in what was once the
intersection in front of the Titan's favorite hang out, the Pizza
Parlor, now merely pieces of plaster and wall attempting to hold what
seemed to be a balcony together. The faint remaining winds around
her slowly died down, as if a mighty storm had taken over the city
and she had been the only one to survive.

She was unable to open her left eye, due to a
large bruise just above it, as well as a swollen cheek. Her jaw felt
dislocated in some way, but not enough to cause her any discomfort in
comparison to her many other wounds. Her cloak seemed to be long
since lost, and her black leotard ripped and shredded to the point
where it only covered her most intimate parts. She felt burn marks
around her midsection and chest, and an even bigger one on her back.
Her shins were bruised to a point where flesh had peeled off, and
blood dripped from her skull down to her chin. She could barely move
her fingers, which had been clenched so tightly into balled up fists
from her rising anxiety, and body-trembling fear. Her fists were
covered in blood, and the constant ringing in her ear and dull
sensation on the left side of her temple forced her to think she had
taken a blow to the side of the head as well. There was a strange
pull at the pit of her stomach, but she quickly forced it to the back
of her mind, being the least of her worries.

With a sense of duty quickly running over, the
still hysterical hero of the city stretched her senses as far as she
could, death being the only thing she could sense within a five-meter
radius, and only increased as she sensed further out. As her face
filled with more panic with each passing second, relief finally fell
over her as a faint, but still living life form was detected close to
a hundred yards away. Her human side's arrogance to never give up,
and her demon's side ability to surpass the limitations of normal
humans, Raven called forth what little power she had, and slowly
lifted herself into the air, while a light aura surrounded her.

The tall buildings of Jump City's business
district had been completely destroyed, leaving pieces of brick,
stone, and steel girders remaining, with shattered glass and large
portions of blood spread along the streets. Cars were either flipped
over, torn in half, or sticking out of the buildings themselves, as
Raven slowly made her way toward the life force, which continued to
drain from her senses at an alarming rate. Levitating a few meters
from the ground, she took a left at the next intersection to a street
that was blocked off by the top half of a large office building to
her right. Pieces of the building were scattered about, her eyes
shifting to where her senses pinpointed the life form. A small child
lay trapped with her bottom half completely buried under the front
portion of a tilted car, the engine scattered in pieces just a few
yards. She was on her side, her eyes widened and radiating with
fear. The mage quickly took action after sensing the girl and willed
her magic to carry her body over to where the girl was, quickly
reaching her good arm outward.

"It's alright, someone's here," Raven
attempted to calm the shaken child as she touched surface, crouching
down to the girl. The dark haired child looked up with her tiny eyes
mixed in a pool of bright white. As fear enveloped the child's
mind, Raven had trouble herself trying to remain focused on the
situation. Like the slap on the face Raven had felt when she had
woken, the child instantly screamed, the envelopment of fear she had
before seemingly nothing to the amount she held now. Similar to a
blown fuse, Raven's façade flinched but quickly attempted to
shake it off, reaching her right arm to the girl, her own trembling
hand unclenching its tightly balled up fingers.

When the girl felt skin contact, she instantly
pulled away, despite the fact that half her body was incarcerated by
a severe amount of metal. The sounds of bones grinding and crunching
reached the telepath's ears, and quickly she attempted to thwart
the girl's movements. The girl only reacted with more fear, and
more attempts to run away, her fear raising so much the sorceress
literally felt the spark. Her head arched back like a slingshot, her
eyes closing tightly from the pain, and her good hand went to her
forehead as she turned around in prevention of falling, while leaning
over to regain her composure. Raven slowly opened one eye as she
turned to face the girl, who finally made eye contact with the hero
of Jump City herself. Their eyes locked for only a second, with
Raven looking straight into her soul as time slowed all around her.
The fear was nothing compared to what Raven felt when she had
awakened.

The girl's hands were clawing at the pavement in
order to get away, in a direction that was opposite to Raven herself.
The girl held a look of complete horror, which had sent chills down
the remaining disks she could still feel in her spine. It seemed
that with each slow, dramatic step Raven took forward, the girl
screamed louder, as if fearing any sort of human interaction. As a
hero of the city, Raven would now have to attempt to aid the girl,
without furthering her injuries. Another slow step forward and the
girl screamed louder. Her fear had been far too great for Raven to
attempt any sort of telepathy upon the girl; her had been mind
completely taken over by that one single emotion.

That strange pull at the pit of her stomach
returned, forcing her brows to lower in confusion. One good eye then
widened, just as the girl pulled one final time before the car
teetered in her direction. Raven let out a cry as she leaped
forward, but it had been far too late. The top portion of the car
suddenly tilted downward, upside down and completely crushing the
child just as Raven's palm hit the side paneling, the smacking
sound of her skin against metal doing little to drown out the
crunching sound of the girl's body and head being crushed under the
tremendous weight.

"NO!" She cried out again, as she tried to
push it back up, but could barely muster the strength to rock it.
Taking two weak steps back, she held out her good arm, and let out an
exhausted breath. "Az … Azarath … Me … Metrion … Zinthos!"

A small spark of black energy erupted at the tips
of her fingers, and a faint black glow surrounded the car. Though
the large metal did not lift at her command, it did tremble and shake
slightly, before the aura surrounding it shattered completely, just
as Raven doubled over from the complete drain of her energy. She let
out another exasperating breath as she fell to one knee once again,
her one widened eye locked upon the pavement. Just before the car
had moved, she could sense it. She couldn't before, but at the
last second of the girl's life, Raven could sense it, the very
source of the fear. It wasn't just coming from the scene around
her, like it had when Raven had first awakened. It wasn't just
because broken pieces of her family had most likely been scattered
about. It was entirely caused by Raven's presence, and within that
second span, she could tell the girl knew exactly who she was.

Her head moved shakily to the left as she stood,
then slowly to the right, her lips mouthing out the word 'no,'
but she seemed to have trouble finding her voice. The same ringing
sound returned when she attempted to break through the wall that
stood mentally before her, trying desperately to recall the earlier
events of the day. She clutched her head instantly while a sharp
pain entered the sides of her head, though still tried to fight
against it. For a solid minute, she struggled against the mental
wall, each passing second forcing her mind to wonder just what the
hell had happened. No matter how much she didn't want to believe
it, the source of the child's fear was proof enough that it had
somehow involved her.

"Hello!"

Raven's ears instantly picked up the
recognizable voice, and like a lost child finally finding their
parent, a very confused Raven cried out to her friend, her first
attempt barely higher than a whisper.

"Is there anyone here?"

"Kori … Koriand'r!" Raven finally called
out to the girl who had just became visible down the street. Fiery
red mane plastered against a battle-worn face, with blood, sweat, and
tears streaming down her face. The girl looked as equally drained of
energy as Raven herself, and she could only wonder what powerful foe
the Titans had faced this time. The girl's orange tone arm had
been wrapped around her midsection, which pooled a stain of blood
that ran down her short purple skirt and down to her thigh-high
boots. Her tired expression turned to that of shock and surprise as
their eyes met, the same fear the telepath had felt from the child
now radiated off her teammate and best friend.

"R-Raven?" Starfire was hesitant to find her
voice, her body completely freezing all movement. Emotions were
always easy to read from the Princess of Tamaran, and all seemed to
point toward extreme fear. Raven couldn't understand why. Why did
everyone fear her? What happened to the city? Why couldn't she
remember anything?!

"Koriand'r," Raven gaped finally after
letting out a breath, the events finally breaking through the damn
and sending her to her knees. "What's going on? Where is
everyone? What happened to the city?"

Starfire had been completely frozen in fear,
unable to answer the sorceress' questions. Like a slap across the
face, the denial was shattered and realization finally hit. Raven
brought her shaky hands to her face, covering her eyes while she
sobbed uncontrollably. It had been her fault, all her fault. Images
flashed by her eyes, each one making her flinch and her stomach turn.
She fell to her knees while leaning forward into her own lap, not
knowing of anything else to do.

"Kill … me …" Starfire's ears had to
strain in order to hear between the sobs of the sorceress. "Please
… just kill me. Now."

"Raven?" The princess of Tamaran took a few
hesitant steps toward the girl, almost sensing a difference from
their last encounter.

Starfire raised her good hand upward, while a
sphere of green energy wrapped around her fist. She knew she should
do it. Raven's anger had stated that the Raven she knew was dead
and gone. As the sorceress sobbed, however, Starfire felt what she
was about to do was wrong. Every thought process her brain could
register ordered her to finish the girl off, for there was no hope in
restoring Raven to who she used to be. Her heart, however, yearned
to hold the girl in an attempt to calm her, like a mother would a
child. Sweat glistened from her forehead as she continued to go back
and forth, the spark erupting from the energy sphere she held firmly
in her grasp. Slowly, her hand lowered. No, she couldn't do it.
She could not destroy her best friend, no matter what she had done.

"Raven," Starfire finally choked out. The
sphere vanished from her hand as it lowered to her side, a small
amount of hope rising in her features. "Is it … is it really
you?"

"Kill me, Koriand'r," Raven continued to
repeat herself, not wanting to become like her father. Her fingers
were balled up tightly while she focused her vision upon the broken
pieces of cement below her, unable to look her best friend in the
eyes. "Please, I don't want to hurt anyone anymore."

Raven waited for what felt like an eternity for
the girl to finish her off. Even after defeating her father, her
demonic side held enough power to completely dominate her mind. If
she were to be destroyed while she was still able to hold control of
herself, then she would hold no threat to the very planet she loved.
She nearly leaped out of her skin when she felt the soft orange tone
hand firmly grasp her good shoulder. Raven looked up to the serene
expression of her princess, who had crouched down beside her. Her
lips parted to speak, her mind demanding her to have Starfire finish
her off before her rage took over, but she had become completely lost
in the two dark jaded spheres swimming in a pool of light forest
green.

"I cannot comply with your request, because,"
Starfire hesitated, attempting to come up with the best words to
express. "Because you are my friend, Raven, no matter what you
have done in the past, you always have been, and will forever remain
my dearest and closest friend."

"K-Kori …" Raven's tongue seemed stuck in
her throat, unable to process any means of thought. Even with the
girl's injuries, Starfire was still able to express a smile, moving
her good arm down from Raven's shoulder to her hand. A soft hue of
pink reached the sorceress' cheeks, her brows twitching and her
mind completely lost. Starfire rested her head on the girl's
shoulder, her wounds preventing her from keeping herself up alone.
Her body shifted into an awkward kneeling position, her legs tucked
inward while her slim orange arm wrapped around the girl's waist.

"Raven, please …" Starfire pleaded with her.
"I know … I know you will always come back to us … no matter
what we face."

Raven heard the girl cough suddenly while her
entire body tensed. Starfire's arms loosened against the
sorceress, and slowly tear-filled eyes turned toward the sorceress
with a look of disbelief.

"Raven …" her tone held question to it while
her head slowly shook. "Why?"

Raven expressed a confused look, as the Tamaranian
began to tremble uncontrollably. Starfire's hands were removed
completely from around Raven's body to grasp the wound on her left
side, where blood began to pour freely from. Panic filled Raven as
her friend fell to her side, blood gushing out as she let out another
cough.

"Why, Raven? Why would you do this?"
Starfire screamed as her life drained from her body. "Why…"

"But I … I didn't!" Raven was quick to
announce, though as her eyes trailed down the girl's body to her
own hands, she found them coated in a thick crimson liquid, and in
her right hand, a dagger made up of her own black energy. Her eyes
widened.

"Raven! Please! Why?"

Starfire let out a final scream before her entire
body stilled, red mane falling over her lifeless jade hues while her
arm sprawled over her forehead. One final breath was let out, and
the Princess of Tamaran's chest never again made an attempt to
rise.

Raven found herself unable to even make skin
contact with the girl, and retracted her hand as she curled her body
inward. She felt physically sick and her head was spinning. What
had just happened? Raven's eyes fell to the hand that held the
dagger, and her blood covered hands. Had she … without even
realizing?

'We're
always connected, Raven …'

Raven grasped her head in pain, her jaw clenching
shut while letting out a grunt from the immense pain that erupted
upon her temples. Her eyes were wide open as she spared a glance to
her best friend who now lay dead beside her because of her own very
existence.

'No
matter where you go …'

As if physically hit, Raven's head snapped
backward, falling to the cement on her back and shaking back and
forth. No. It wasn't her fault.

'No
matter what you do …'

Her eyes fell upon the darkened skies, realization
settling in for one final time. The pain subsided and her body fell
limp to its side. It was her fault …

'I'll
always find you …'

She felt darkness wrap around her vision, while a
utopia-like feeling falling upon her body. One long breath was let
out before the sun parted opened the clouds, bright enough to almost
blind her vision. It had all been her fault …

'And
make you Fall into Nothing.'

xXxXxXxXx

Disclaimer:

Teen Titans (Animated Series)
is created and owned by

Sam Register and Glen Murakami

Song Title: Nothing

Artist: Into Eternity

Album: Scattering of Ashes

Lyrics: Nothing

Endless
suffering
Enduring the pain
Cast aside tolerance
This
torture remains the same

This endless torture remains the
same
Eclipse and masking all that you ever were
Shards of
reality slicing through your mind
Escaping this grieving
nightmare

And I fall into nothing
Forever jaded
And I
hold onto nothingness
Dissolving my senses

Distorting the
paralleled
Contorting the grieving world around you
This
endless torture remains the same

Through his eyes you
pierce
And smash those warped perceptions
Of this relentless
debauchery
Escaping this grieving nightmare

And I fall into
nothing
Forever jaded
And I hold onto nothingness
Dissolving
my senses

And I fall into nothing
Forever jaded
And I
hold onto nothingness
Dissolving my senses

Tolerate my
being
Binded by my hate
Calm this relentless craving
Before
its to late

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